Kikujiro

Lonely nine-year-old Masao leaves Tokyo in search of his mother, a woman he’s never met. He’s accompanied on his journey across the Japanese countryside by surly, middle-ages petty crook Kikujiro, who is none too happy to be the chaperone. When Kikujiro gambles away all of Masao’s travel money, the two must rely on their wits and the kindness of colorful strangers. Along the way, as the two share a series of wild and unpredictable adventures, they end up at a destination that neither of them could have imagined. Kikujiro has been hailed as "A beautiful, warm, and inviting film."